Chapter 8 Mrs. Olivier's visit

Mrs. Olivier walked into the well-stocked Williams and Barneys drugstore, stopped in front of the carousel full of medicines for treating corns and crusts, hesitated for a while in front of the mountain of rubber foam, and then He lingered in front of the prescription counter for a while, and then walked past the beautifully displayed counter, which was piled up with Elizabeth.Arden, Helena.Products from Rubinstein, Max Factor, and other cosmetics companies satisfy women's desire to imagine themselves beautiful. Mrs. Olivier finally walked up to a plump shopgirl, bought a pair of lipstick, and exclaimed:

Hey, Marlene, aren't you Marlene? Oh, I didn't expect it to be you, Mrs. Olivier, it's great to meet you, it's great!I'm going to tell other colleagues that you bought something here, they must be very excited. Don't tell them.said Mrs Olivier. Oh, I bet they'll bring autograph books! I hope not, said Mrs. Olivier: How are you, Marlene? Oh, so-so, passable.Marlene said. I didn't know you were still working here. I think it's about the same elsewhere, and they treat me well, I got a raise last year, and now I'm more or less in charge of the cosmetics counter.

Where's your mom?How are you? Oh, very good.She will be glad to know that I have seen you. Does she still live in the hospital and go that way? Yes, we still live there.My father is not in good health and has to go to the hospital from time to time.My mother has always been healthy. She must be very happy to know that I see you.Did you come here on purpose? Not counting, Mrs. Olivia said: Actually, I just happened to pass by to see an old friend. I thought she would look at her watch and say: Will your mother be home?I can go over to see her and have a chat before I go. Oh, go ahead then.Marlene said: She must be very happy, but unfortunately I can't go together.Because alas, being seen isn't great, and I have another hour and a half to leave.

It's okay, let's do it next time.Mrs. Olivier said: I forgot, is your home number seventeen, or do you have a name? Our home is called Laurel Cottage. Oh, yes, yes, I'm so stupid.happy to see you. Mrs. Olivier hurried away with the lipstick she didn't want, and drove up the main street of Chipping Bachuan, turning a corner, past a garage and hospital, and onto a narrow lane lined with comfortable houses. Mrs. Olivier got out of the car in front of Laurel House and knocked on the door. A thin but energetic gray-haired woman about fifty years old opened the door and carefully identified the visitor.

Ah, it's you, Mrs. Olivia, oh, long time no see. Yes, long time no see. Come in, come in quickly.Would you like a cup of tea? No, said Mrs Olivier: I just had a drink at a friend's and I have to hurry back to London.Well, I went to the drugstore to do some shopping and I ran into Marlene. Oh yeah, she's doing well there, they think highly of her, and say she's got business flair. very nice.How are you lately, Mrs. Buckwheat?You seem to be in good health, the same as the last time I saw you, nothing changed. Oh, no, the hair is all white, and the person has lost a lot of weight.

I met a lot of old friends today. Mrs. Olivier entered the house and walked into a small and messy living room.Do you remember Mrs. Castel, Julia?Lady Castel? Oh, of course I remember, she must be doing well. Indeed, we talked about the past, even the tragedies that had happened before.I was in the United States at that time, so I didn't know much about it. It was the Ravenk case that everyone said. Oh, I remember it very well. You used to work in their house, didn't you, Mrs. Bach? Yes, I usually go three mornings a week, and they're nice, standard army gents and ladies, you'd probably say, old school anyway.

It's so tragic that that happened. Well, really. Were you still working in their house at that time? No, I can't help it.My old aunt Emma came to live with me, she was going blind and not well, and I couldn't spare more time to work outside.But a month or two before it happened, I was still there. It's a terrible thing, said Mrs. Olivier: they are said to have committed suicide together. I don't believe it, Mrs. Bako said: They must not have agreed to commit suicide together. They are not that kind of people, and they were so happy together.Of course, they didn't live there very long.

True, they didn't live long.Mrs Olivier said: "Didn't they live near Bournemouth when they first came back to England?" Yes, but they felt it was too far from London, so moved to Chipping Bachuan, nice house and gardens. The last time you worked in their house, were they all okay? Well, the general, like many people, feels old, he has a heart problem, and he's had a minor stroke.You know, that kind of thing.They just take medicine and sometimes stay in the hospital for a while. What about the lady? Well, I think she misses living abroad, they don't know many people here, although they do hang out with some families of the same class.But it is different in Peninsular Malaysia, where there are many servants, happy banquets and so on.

Do you think she misses her convivial feasts? Uh, I'm not really sure. I was told she wears a wig. Oh, she has several wigs, Mrs. Bacchu smiled: very delicate and expensive, and she often sends them back to London, asks them to readjust and send them back.She had all kinds of wigs, auburn hair all in gray curls and she was really attractive in it.There are two more, well, not very beautiful, but very practical. When the wind blows, it means that it will rain, and I always want to wear something on my head.Madam attaches great importance to appearance and spends a lot of money on clothing.

What do you think was the cause of this tragedy?Mrs. Olivier said: You know, I was in the United States at the time, not here, and I didn't see any friends, so I didn't hear about it.And, well, it's not convenient to ask directly or mention such things in a letter.I heard it was General Ravenk's own revolver? Oh yes, the General put two guns in the house, and he said a house without guns wasn't safe, and maybe he's right, as far as I know, they've never had trouble before.One afternoon, a very annoying person broke into the general's house. I didn't like the way he looked. He wanted to see the general and said that he had served in the general's regiment when he was young.The general asked him a few questions, and thought this man was unreliable and unreliable, so he sent him away.

Could it be someone else's hand? Well, I think it should be, I can't think of any other reason.I don't like the gardener very much, he has a bad reputation and I guess he's been in prison before.But the general accepted him and was willing to give him a chance. So you think maybe the gardener killed them? Well, I've always thought so, but maybe not.But I don't believe what I mean, the rumors about the general or the wife, or the general killed the wife or the wife killed the general, that's all nonsense.In my opinion, it must have been done by outsiders.They are not as bad as people are now, and they don't have so many cruel methods.Looking at what is written in the newspapers now, the young man may be just a child, taking drugs, running wild, rampaging, and killing people for no reason; inviting a girl to drink with her in a bar and sending her home, and the girl died in the next day. in the gutter; sneaking a baby away in a cradle; taking a girl to a prom and killing or strangling her on the way back, as if everyone could do whatever they wanted.In short, the general and his wife, a generous couple, went for a leisurely walk one evening and ended up being shot in the head. Was it shot through the head? Well, I don't remember much, and I didn't see it myself.Anyway, they just went out for a walk as usual. Was there any unhappiness between them? Well, they do quarrel once in a while, what couple doesn't? Don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Oh, maybe those are the wrong words for people their age, I mean, it's been talked about everywhere, but it's all bullshit, there's no such thing.People just like to talk about this kind of thing. Could it be that one of them is sick? Well, Madame has been to London once or twice to see a doctor, for hospitalization or operation, I suppose, but she never told me.I think the doctor cured her.She only stayed in the hospital for a while, so there should be no surgery.She looked younger since her return from London.Anyway, she must have had plastic surgery, and she looks so pretty in those curly wigs, like a different person. What about General Ravenk? He's a decent gentleman, and I haven't heard of any scandal with him, and I don't think there will be.Although everyone is talking about it, as long as there is a tragedy, some people will talk nonsense.His head seems to have been bruised in the Malay Peninsula.I had an uncle or uncle who fell off a horse once and crashed into a cannon or something, and then he got really weird.It was normal for the first six months, and then he wanted to kill his wife all day long, and was finally sent to a mental hospital.He said his wife was following him and trying to kill him, and that she was a spy sent by another country.well!It's hard for an upright official to break up housework. In short, do you think none of the rumors I heard, such as saying that they had a bad relationship, that's why they killed each other and then committed suicide, etc., are not true? Well, I don't believe it. Were their children home at the time? No, Miss. Uh, what's her name?Rosie?Isn't that right, Penelope? It's Celia, said Lady Olivier: she's my goddaughter. Oh yes, I remember, remember the time you took her out to play.She's very lively, and sometimes has a bad temper, but I think she loves her parents very much.Fortunately, she was studying in Switzerland when the tragedy happened. If she had been at home, she would have been hit hard. They also have a son, don't they? Yes, Master Edward.The general was a little worried about him, and he didn't look like he liked his father either. Oh, that's okay, boys have periods like this.Does Edward like his mother? Well, I think Ma'am cares too much about him, and he probably finds it annoying.You know, boys don't like their mothers nagging them to wear thicker sweaters or add extra clothes and so on.The general doesn't like his haircut, it's kind of uh, not the way it is now, but it's kind of like it, you know what I mean. Wasn't Edward at home when it happened? right. I think he must be shocked? Well, for sure.Of course, I haven't heard much, because I haven't been to their house again.If you ask, I tell you, I don't like the gardener, I think his name is uh, Fred, Fred.Weiser, maybe.He seems to have committed um, fraud or something like that. The general found out and wanted to fire him. I think he is very suspicious. You mean shooting the general and his wife? Well, I think it's possible that he only wanted to kill the general, but his wife was there, so he had to kill her too. It's written like this in the books. Yes, Madame Olivier mused, you can learn all kinds of things from books. There was also a governess I didn't like either. What teacher? Well, Edward used to have a governess and he failed his prep school so they found him a governess.He taught for about a year, and Mrs Ravenk liked him very much.She likes music very much, and so does the teacher.I remember his name was Edmund, a very effeminate young man.The general didn't like him very much either, as far as I could see. But Mrs Ravenk liked it. Oh, I think they have a lot in common, and it was the Lady, not the General, who decided to hire Edmund.Edmund was polite, well-spoken and Where is that boy?what is his name Did you mean Edward?Oh, he loves this teacher, it's almost hero worship.Anyway, don't listen to those scandalous rumors about who the lady is with or that the general is entangled with the round-faced girl who keeps his records.Whoever that evil murderer is, he's an outsider.The police did not find any suspects. There was a car near the scene, but no useful clues were found in the car.Anyway, I think it would be good to find someone who knew the General and his wife in the Malay Peninsula or abroad, or even look up where they first lived in Bournemouth.Things are hard to tell. What does your husband think about this?Mrs. Olivia asked: He doesn't know as much as you do, but he may have heard a lot. Of course, he also heard a lot of rumors.At George and Flagg one night there was a lot of talk about the lady drinking and crates of empty bottles being carried out of the house.That is absolutely false, I know the truth of the matter.They had a nephew who came to see them occasionally, and somehow got into the cops one day, but I don't think it had anything to do with the murder, and neither did the cops. , In short, this incident did not happen at that time. Is there no one living with you besides the general and his wife? Well, Madam has an older sister who comes over sometimes, she seems to be a half-sister, they look alike.I always feel that that sister will cause trouble every time she comes, she likes to mess up and say some nasty things. Does the lady like her? Well, if you ask me, I don't think she likes it very much.The sister wanted to be with them and didn't want to leave her, but I think the lady found her intolerable.She is very good at playing cards, so the general likes her very much, he likes to ask her to play chess and cards, and she is quite funny in some places.Her name seems to be Mrs. Jerebe, she should be a widow, and she often borrows money from them. do you like her? Well, don't mind what I say, ma'am, I don't like her, very much.I think she's a troublemaker.But she wasn't here for a while before the tragedy, I don't really remember what she looked like, and she had a son who came here once or twice, and I didn't like him very much, he was sneaky. Well, Mrs Olivier said: I don't think anyone will ever know the truth, after all it's been so long.I met my goddaughter the other day. Really?Ma'am, I'd like to know how Miss Celia is doing. How is she doing?well enough? Well, looks fine, she seems to be thinking about getting married.Anyway, she already has a Have a regular boyfriend yet?Mrs. Bach said: Well, that's how we all get here, even if we don't marry the first person we meet, but nine times out of ten it's the same. Do you know Mrs. Burdenka?asked Mrs Olivier. Burden card?I seem to have heard the name.No, not sure.Does she live here, or has she been a guest at their house?No, not impressed.But I've heard this name before, it seems to be an old friend of the general in the Malay Peninsula, but I don't know it.She shook her head. alright.Mrs. Olivier said: No more small talk, it's a pleasure to see you and Marlene.